Pocket lighter



Jan. 11, 1949.

A. cAMPos- POCKET LIGHTER ,Filed Sept; 14. 1945 Patented Jan. 11, T949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POCKET LIGHTER.

Adolph Campos, Clifton, N. J 7 Application September 14, 1945, Serial No. 616,202

3 Claims.

This invention appertains to improvements in pocket lighters for cigarettes and the like, and has for an object to provide one that is simple in construction, attractive in design and appearance, and inexpensive to manufacture, an important feature of its construction being present in a, single pivoted member to completely enclose the igniter mechanism when normally disposed and to house the pawl for actuating the spark- -wheel to abrade a flint to produce sparks to ignite the wick and a snufier cap to extinguish the flame at the wick.

Another object of the invention has to do with the provision of a lighter of this kind, wherein a novel form of latch means is provided to retain the aforesaid pivoted member at its normal position and a spring is arranged to forcibly actuate the member to lift the snuffer cup from the exposed end of the wick and to move the pawl in a direction to properly operate a ratchet, which is in unit assembly with the spark-wheel, when the latch means is manually released.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the certain new and useful combination, construction, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a practical embodiment of the lighter, in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the lighter as in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken through the line 33 on Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the top end of the lighter, with the igniter mechanism removed;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the upper part of the-lighter, with the protective hood at its position following its release from the latch means and its movement to cause the lighting of the wick; and, T

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section, taken through the line 6-6 on Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, the lighter, as it is exemplitied therein, is comprised ina rectangular hollow body ill, constituting a fuel reservoir, having an integral bottom wall 12, and a top wall l4 inset from the top edges of the side and end walls I0 and I0", respectively. The side walls l0 and one of the end walls III" are of a uniform height, while the other of the end walls is made slightly higher, as at Illa; and immediately adjacent the latter wall, the side walls III are formed with substantially semi-circular cutouts lllb, for purposes which will presently be apparent. The top wall It takes the form of a plate having up-turned portions ll, extending rearwardly from its front end and terminating short of its rear end and Which project upwardly above the side walls ill, of the body Ill. The rear ends of the up-turned portions I 4' terminate in substantially semicircular enlargemens M", which are centrally apertured to receive stationary axle or crosspin I6, that lies in an axial plane representative of the center of a circle defined by the curvature of the cutouts llib, in the side walls of the body. Mounted on the axle it, 15-21 ratchet-wheel I8 in unitary assembly with a spark-wheel 20.

Secured in an opening in the front end of the top wall I 4, is a tabularholder 22, for a wick 24,

while the upper end of a feed tube 26, for afiint F, opens through the top wall beneath the spark-wheel 20, the feed tube extending through the body l0 and has its lower end opening through the bottom wall l2. The flint F is supported in the upper end of the feed tube 26 by a coiled spring 28 which has its lower end engaged over a projection rising from the inner end of a screw closure 30, threaded into the lower end of the feed tube.

Pivotally mounted for rocking movement on the axle I6 is a protective hood 32 for the combined ratchet and spark wheel unit and having one of its ends normally overlying and forming a cap 34 for the wick 2|, the hood 32 being made of sheet metal die-stamped to inverted U-form in cross-section and "has the front ends of its side walls 32' connected by an end wall 32", while the rear ends thereof are made substantially circular in form, as at 32a, to conform to the curvature of the cutouts lflb, in the side walls ill of the body. Forwardly of the'circular portions 32a, the lower edges of the side walls 32 are straight so as to rest upon the upper edges of the side walls ill of the body, when the protective hood is normally disposed. The rear end of the top wall of the protective hood 32 is slightly inset, as at 32b, and from this point of inset is curved in a downward direction about they rear side of the ratchet and spark wheel unit and in a manner to clear the upwardly extending portion of the rear end wall of the body Ill, during the operative movements of the protective hood 32. The cap 34 is dependingly supported from the 3 top wall of the protective hood 32, in line with the wick holder 22, upon which it seats to extinguish a flame, when the protective hood is normally disposed; while a pawl 36, of a flat spring metal, is also secured to the top wall of the protective hood at a position thereon to engage with the toothed periphery of the ratchet wheel l8, at all times. Interposed between the top wall i4, of the body It], and the top wall of the protective hood 32, is aflat spring 38, which is bent medially of its ends and looped about the axle l6, at the outer side of the spark-wheel2ll,

with it's ends directed forwardly past the cap 34 and bearing against the end wall 32", substantially as shown in Figures 2- and 3.

To secure the protective hood 32 at. its normally inoperative position, against the constant urge of the spring 38, a latch member 40, in the form of a hook, is mounted on the inner end of the stem 42', of an operating knob 42, journalled in the front end wall of the body l0, abovethe top wall l4, to engage with a latch pin'44, pro-. jecting from the inner side of the end wall 32", of the protective hood A'flat spring 46 is secured to the top wall-l4 and bears against the latch member 40. to hold it in latching position at all times, so that, whenever theprotective therethrougb, a pin extending through the apertures in said enlargements and supported by the latter, a, combined ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit rotatably mounted on said pin, a wick projecting from the top wall of said hollow body, a protective hood for said ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit mounted for rocking movement on said pin and having one of its ends normally overlying and forming a cap for said wick, the other end of said hood having side walls each substantially circular in form to-conform to the curvature of the contour of the cut-outs of the side walls of said hollow body and in engagement with said cut-outs, and an operative connection between said hood and said combined ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit to rotate the latter in response to the rocking movement of said hood.

hood 32 is returned to normal position; the latch I pin 44 will-automatically engage with the latch member.

In operation, a turning movement of the knob 42 acts'to disengage the latch member '40 from Y the latch pin 44, releasing the protective hood 2. In a lighter, a rectangular hollow body constituting a fuel reservior, said body having side walls, end walls connecting the side walls together,

and a top wall inset with respect to said side and end walls, the side walls and'one end wall being of uniform height andthe other end wall being of a height higher than said side walls and said one end wall, the side walls adjacent said other end wall being each provided with a substantially semi-circular cut-out, said top wall being a plate having up-turned-portions projecting above the 'side walls of said body, said upturned portions being arrangedbetween the extremities of the plate, the ends of the upturned portions terminating in substantially semi-circular enlargements, each of said enlargements having a cen- 32, which is immediately acted upon by the spring 38 and forced upwardly and rearwardly' 'to' a substantially vertical position I ontheaxle 16.

With this turning movement of the snufler arm 32, the cap 34 is lifted off of the wick holder 22, to expose the upper end of the wick24, protruding from the wick holder, and, at the same time,

the pawl 36 acts to impart a like motion to the ratchet wheel l8 and, through it, to the spark .wheel 20, causing the latter to abrade the flint F, to produce the sparks necessary to ignite the wick. After making use of the flame, the protective hood 32 is returned to its normal position by finger pressure applied to its top side, at which position, the cap 34 engages over the wick end and extinguishes the flame and,- at the same time, the latch pin 44 snaps into engagement with the hooked end of the latch member 40. A filling opening is provided in the bottom'of the reservoir and is closed with a screw cap 48.

While in the foregoing, I have described a pre ferred and practical embodiment of my lighter,

projectingabove-tl'ie' sidewalls-of said said fi ularhollowlbody eggs 4 655111141 said one. end wall, the side walls adjacent said other end wall being each'provided with a upturned portions being arran ed between, the I extremities of the plate, the ends of the upturned portionsterminating inv substantially s'emicircular enlargements, each of saidenlargements having a centrally-disposed aperture extending trall-y-disposed aperture extending therethrough,

a pin extending through the apertures in said enlargements and supported by the latter, a combined ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit rotatably mounted on said pin, a wick projecting from the top wall of said hollow body, a protective hood for said ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit mounted for rocking movement on said pin and having one of its ends normally overlying and forming a cap for said wick, the other end of said hood having side walls each substantially circular in form to conform to the curvature of the cut-outs of the side walls of said hollow body and in engagement with .said cut-out,'said hood being provided with an inset adjacent its circular side walls sons" to provide a rest for said hood upon completion of its rocking movement, an operative connection between. saidhood and said com-bined ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit to rotate the latter in response to the rocking movement of said hood,

and latch means on the end wall of said body contiguous to the end of saidhood having said cap and operatively connected to said hood for releasabiy holding said hood in its normal position.

3. In a lighter, a rectangular hollow body constituting a fuel reservoir, said body having side walls, .end walls connecting the side walls together, and atop wall inset with respect to said side and end walls, the side walls and one end wall being of uniform height and the other end wall being of .a'height higher than said side walls substantiallysemicircular cut-out, said top wall belngl a -plate having lip-turned portions pro- ]ectingabove the side walls of saidbody, said upturned portions being arranged between .the

extremitiesof the plate, the ends of the upturned portions, terminating in substantially semi-circular enlargements, each of said enlargements having a centrally-disposed aperture extending therethrough, a pin extend 5 ing through the apertures in said enlargementsand supported by the latter, a combined ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit rotatably mounted on said pin, a wick projecting from the top wall 6 ment of said hood about said pin, and latch means on the end wall of said body contiguous to the end of saidhood having said cap and operatively connected to said hood for releasably of said hollow body, a protective hood for said 5 holding said hood in its normal position.

ratchet-and-spark-wheel unit mounted for rocking movement on said pin and having one of its ends normally overlying and forming a cap for said wick, the other end of said hood having side walls each substantially circular in form to conform to the curvature of the cut-outs of the side walls of said hollow body and in engagement with said cut-outs, said hood being provided with an inset adjacent its circular side walls so as to provide a rest for said hood upon completion of its rocking movement, and operative connection between said hood and said combined ratchetand-spark-wheel unit to rotate the latter in response to the rocking movement of said hood,

spring means interposed between the top wall of 20 said body and said hood and operatively connected to said pin for efl'ecting rocking move- ADOLPH CAMPOS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file 'of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,060,150 Adamian Apr. 29, 1913 15 1,822,505 Rogers Sept. 8, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 263,808 Germany Sept. 11, 1913 431,985 France Sept. 25, 1911 486,178 Great Britain May 31, 1938 537,397 France Mar. 3, 1922 

